The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, has issued a response to statements made by Guy Drut, the 1976 Montreal Olympic champion, who expressed his intention to support a political alliance between the right and the far right in the French parliamentary elections.
Asked to provide their opinion on the upcoming French parliamentary elections, the champion of the 110m hurdles at the Montreal Olympics and ex-sports minister of France caused a commotion within the Olympic community.
In an interview with Le Monde on Tuesday, he voiced his approval for the collaboration of the right and the alliance with the National Rally (RN). Along with his responsibilities as a member of the IOC, Guy Drut is also a member of the administrative team for the Paris 2024 organizing committee.
Guy Drut, a former minister and member of the International Olympic Committee, expressed his concern about the left-wing fascism of the Popular Front in the following statement: “The Popular Front is a form of fascism that worries me greatly.”
During a press conference on Thursday, IOC President Thomas Bach made it clear that he does not support the comments made by Guy Drut. He emphasised that the 73-year-old’s remarks were his own personal opinion and had not been discussed or shared with the IOC. Bach also clarified that Drut does not represent the views of the IOC.
According to the President of the International Olympic Committee, the French democratic system, which is one of the oldest in the world, has their full trust. Therefore, they will collaborate with whichever government the French people choose through their election process. Guy Drut also shares the belief that the selection of a far-right government would not interrupt the hosting of the Olympic Games.
Guy Drut is not concerned about Paris 2024 since he believes that “the attacks in Munich in 1972 did not prevent the Games from taking place.” He supports the RN, while also expressing his desire to see veiled female athletes wearing the French jersey at the Olympics.
According to Le Monde, he expressed confidence that the Olympic Games will be successful. He also mentioned that the Munich attacks in 1972 did not hinder the games from taking place, and he believes that there is no reason for them to go poorly under an RN government.
The initial response from the present minister for sport, the Olympics and the Paralympics in the French government under President Emmanuel Macron was, “This is a disgrace. The new members of the RN are just as inconsistent and incoherent as him,” as stated by Amelie Oudea-Castera on her social media platform.
